A 76-YEAR-OLD grandfather claimed he was 'shell shocked' after a bouncer told him he was too old to come in for a drink at a pub in the centre of Liverpool.

The pub in question denied the claim, but whether or not it’s true, it came as no surprise to me.

I don’t go into pubs much, but the last time I did I must have stood at the bar for about half an hour trying to attract someone’s attention. My presence was repeatedly overlooked by the young, male bar staff, who attended to younger, far prettier women the second they arrived at the bar. I was about to ask one of those women to order for me, when someone actually noticed me gesticulating and took my order. If I hadn’t been with friends, and buying drinks for others, I would have abandoned the task altogether and gone home.

What I would like to tell those young lads is ‘one day it will be you standing here as an old person, so think on.’

The sad thing is, we older people don’t see ourselves as old. Inside we are still 20-somethings, in the pub on a night out. Such treatment not only reinforces the fact that you are no longer young, but it knocks your confidence.

It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened to me. A few years ago, when I was in my early fifties, I took my daughter to a Christmas outdoor ice skating rink. I popped to the bar set up alongside for a hot chocolate. There was a queue and I was suddenly barred from entering by two young men, who told me the bar was full. I sat down nearby only to see a group of young people being welcomed in. On that occasion, I complained and was given a free drink as a result. It didn’t make me feel better.

I had not had anything like that happen before and it hit me like a thunderbolt: I’m old.

In a world brimming with bright young things, old people - men and women - can often feel invisible. It’s not only in pubs, bars and other places frequented by younger people. Advertising directed at older people focuses upon products like incontinence pads, stairlifts and medical products. The circulation booster advert fronted by Ian Botham makes me wince, and does Michael Parkinson really think a free pen will send us over-50s flocking to buy life insurance?

Older people may be living longer and doing more with their lives than they ever have before, but we are still pigeonholed by many.

My treatment in the pub made me wonder how I would be received if I went to a nightclub - something I last did in my twenties. Would the bouncers turn me away? Would I even be allowed in the queue?

I’ll never get to find out. Thankfully for them I’d rather spend Friday evenings at home with a mug of tea in front of Gardeners World.

Of course, the majority of pubs and clubs across the country welcome people of all ages and treat them equally. But to those that don’t, just think about it: old age comes to us all. Would you want to be treated differently as you entered your golden years?

Liverpool’s most famous sons The Beatles put the question in 1967:

‘When I get older losing my hair, Many years from now

Will you still be sending me a Valentine, Birthday greetings, bottle of wine…

‘Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I’m 64.’

It was as much an issue then as it is now.